Commentary: Abolish them! Why it’s time for NFL to do away with preseason games

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and wide receiver Terrance Williams (83) celebrate after they connected on a pass for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of a preseason NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Nothing puts the emphasis on “meaningless preseason games” quite like an all-world guard limping off the field, does it?

If colleges can make do without a preseason, how come pros can’t?

And the longer Zeke Elliott sits out, the bigger the Cowboys’ sense of insecurity.

These and other cases make an excellent argument for the abolishment of preseason games, before the end of this week, if possible.

Watching the Cowboys play the other night against Cincinnati, it was hard to keep up with the action for all the lights and sirens. They may have gotten lucky on Zack Martin, whose knee injury doesn’t appear serious. But even if he’s ready for the opener, that’s a call too close for any supposed benefits.

NFL teams don’t need four preseason games to get ready for the real thing, which isn’t exactly news. Roger Goodell is on record that the preseason schedule should be cut in half. The commissioner says they don’t rise to NFL standards.

Which sounds good, but if that standard determines how many games teams play, the Browns would be done by Halloween.

The only reason the NFL still has four preseason games is because they still make money. The league tried to use the concept of cutting back as leverage with the players in an effort to get to an 18-game season. Goodell has given up on that, at least for now.

The only way to ramp up the number of real games is to increase roster sizes, but that’s an argument for another day.

Let’s stick to the point, which is that these preseason games pose far greater risks than any possible rewards could warrant. Stop it now, before someone important gets hurt again.